The present invention relates to massaging devices, and more particularly to massaging systems to be used in vehicles and other environments where radiated vibrations may be objectionable, such as in multiple seating structures and the like.
Typical massaging systems of the prior art include multiple vibrators that are imbedded in cushions or pads of beds, lounges, chairs and the like. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,096 to Yoo and U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,585 to Liang. It is also known to incorporate massaging vibrators in vehicle seats as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,515 to Tseng. A problem with these systems is that when there are multiple occupants, vibrators activated for the benefit of one occupant transmit significant and often objectionable vibrations to other occupants through shared padding and/or common structural elements. Although individual bucket seats are in common use by drivers and front seat passengers, they are less commonly provided for other passengers of automobiles and other vehicles. Accordingly, it has heretofore been impractical to provide bench seats of automobiles and passenger seats of aircraft with massaging systems.
Another problem is that users of massagers having pad-imbedded vibrators sometimes desire localized massaging only. However, the vibrations are transmitted with only gradual attenuation generally throughout the pad. Thus users are faced with the unwelcome choice of avoiding contact between the pad and particular body parts or putting up with unwanted vibrations.
A further problem is that internal structure of many seats interferes with a desired placement of vibration sources, rendering impractical desired patterns and modes of massaging.
It is also known to provide heating elements in combination with massaging devices of seats. However, existing heating elements of the prior art that are compatible with massaging can present objectionable fire hazards in some applications such as in aircraft seating.
Thus there is a need for a massaging system that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
The present invention provides a massaging system having localized massaging action. The motors are embedded in a padded user support, such as a vehicle seat, in a manner that avoids transmission of vibrations into structural members or non-local foam, and adjacent seating, if present. In one aspect of the invention, a massaging system for an occupant support structure includes a vibrator unit located in the support structure; a controller circuit for selectively powering the vibrator unit for selectively stimulating an occupant of the structure, the vibrator unit being in a cavity of a main cushion member, the cavity being closed by an outer cushion member that supports the occupant, a flexible isolation device being interposed between the vibrator unit and the main cushion member for isolating vibrations from the main cushion member. Preferably the isolation device comprises a viscous material for damping vibrations being radiated toward the main cushion member from the vibrator unit. The isolation device can incorporate the viscous material within a flexible sealed enclosure. Preferably the enclosure has an opening formed between opposite sides thereof for receiving a body portion of the vibrator unit. Alternatively, the isolation device can be formed of a material having a bulk or volumetric stiffness being less than corresponding stiffnesses of the main and outer cushion members.
A housing of the vibrator unit can have a generally cylindrical body portion and a plate portion, the plate portion facing the outer cushion member in generally parallel relation thereto. Preferably the plate portion is affixed to the outer cushion member for enhanced coupling of vibrations to the outer cushion member while maintaining the isolation from the main cushion member. The plate portion can project beyond opposite sides of the body portion. The plate portion can project beyond opposite ends of the body portion. A lower portion of the housing body portion can be circularly cylindrical, having an outside diameter D, the housing also having a depth approximately corresponding to the diameter D in a direction perpendicular to the plate portion.
The plate portion can have a length A and a width B, the cavity having a length L and a width W, the width W being between 0.2 inch and 0.5 inch greater than the width B, the length L being between 0.2 inch and 0.5 inch greater than the length A. The housing can have a depth E, the cavity having a height H, the height H being between 0.2 inch and 0.5 inch greater than the depth E. The length L can be approximately 3.75 inch, the width W being approximately 2.75 inch. The height H can be approximately 1.5 inch. Preferably the isolation device occupies at least 40 percent of an overall volume of the cavity for enhancing the effectiveness of the vibration isolation.
The apparatus can further include a reinforcing sheet member laminated between the main cushion member and the outer cushion member. The outer cushion member can be of substantially uniform thickness. The thickness of the outer cushion member can be between 0.18 inch and 0.4 inch. Preferably the thickness of the outer cushion member is approximately 0.25 inch.
Preferably the vibrator unit is one of a spaced plurality of vibrators that are located in plural zones of the structure for selectively stimulating particular tissue regions of the occupant, each vibrator being located in a corresponding counterpart of the cavity and having a corresponding isolation device interposed between the housing and the cavity. The outer cushion can cover each of the cavities. The main cushion and the outer cushion can form a seat pad of a seat. The massaging apparatus can be in combination with a back pad of the seat, the back pad having counterparts of the vibrators, the main cushion, the isolation devices, and the outer cushion. The seat can be one of a plurality of seats having a common structural element.
The apparatus can further include a heater unit attached to the outer cushion member and having a resistance wire connected between conductors of a fire resistant power cord and, secured between a pair of polyamide film sheet members, one side of each sheet member having a silicon base fire resistant adhesive coating, of the adhesive coating of one sheet member contacting the resistance wire and the other sheet member, the coating of the other sheet member securing the heater unit to the outer cushion member. Preferably the thickness of each sheet member is approximately 0.002 inch for providing sufficient structural integrity while effectively transmitting vibrations from the vibrator to a user having contact with the apparatus proximate the heater unit.
In another aspect of the invention, a vehicle seat includes a structural member and respective seat and back pads supported relative thereto, each pad a plurality of vibrator units, each vibrator unit having a housing, a motor supported within the housing, and means for connecting the motor to a source of electrical power, the motor being coupled to a mass element for producing vibratory motion of the housing; a main cushion member having a main supporting surface and having a plurality of spaced apart cavities formed therein and interrupting the supporting surface for receiving respective ones of the vibrator units, each cavity being sufficiently large to provide clearance space on all sides of the corresponding vibrator unit; a plurality of isolation devices in respective ones of the cavities; and an outer cushion member with the vibrators bonded thereto and projecting into respective cavities of the main cushion member, the outer cushion member being also bonded to the main supporting surface and covering the cavities with each isolation device contacting a bottom portion of a vibrator unit and being interposed between the vibrator unit and the main cushion member for coupling vibrations mainly into the outer cushion member, the outer cushion member forming an outer supporting surface being spaced from the main supporting surface. The massaging apparatus can further include a controller electrically connected to each of the vibrators for activating selected ones of the vibrators. Each of the isolation devices can include the flexible sealed enclosure having a viscous material contained therein.
In another aspect of the invention, a seat includes a structural member, a pad supported relative to the structural member with the structural member extending behind a target region zone of an occupant supporting surface of the pad; a vibrator unit having a housing including a projecting plate portion, a motor supported within the housing, means for connecting the motor to a source of electrical power, the motor being coupled to a mass element for producing vibratory motion of the housing, the vibrator unit being supported by the pad with the plate portion extending between the structural member and the target region zone for imparting vibrations to the occupant supporting surface opposite the structural member, the body portion of the housing projecting away from the occupant supporting surface at one side of the structural member.
In another aspect of the invention, a massaging apparatus includes a vibrator unit having a housing including a body portion and a plate portion that projects from one side by a distance greater than a width of the body portion, a main cushion member having a main supporting surface and being formed of a resilient material, a cavity interrupting the supporting surface being formed therein; a structure supporting the main cushion member with a structural member extending parallel to the main supporting surface for modifying its contour; and an outer cushion member bonded to the main supporting surface and covering the cavity, the outer cushion member forming the outer supporting surface spaced from the main supporting surface, the cushion members a seat pad of a seat that also includes a structural member extending within the pad in relatively closely spaced relation to a target zone region of the outer supporting surface, the vibrator being located within the cavity with the plate portion of the housing facing a target zone region of the outer cushion member in generally parallel relation thereto, the plate portion projecting between the structural member and the outer cushion member for imparting vibrations through the outer cushion member opposite the structural member, the body portion of the housing projecting away from the outer cushion member at one side of the structural member. The cavity can be configured to provide clearance space on all sides of the vibrator unit, the apparatus further including the isolation device contacting the vibrator and being interposed between the vibrator and the main cushion member.
In a further aspect of the invention, a method for converting a padded support device having a resilient main cushion to produce isolated massaging of a user""s body includes:
(a) providing a vibratory transducer having a housing and a control cable extending from the housing for driving the transducer;
(b) forming a cavity in a supporting surface of the main cushion, the cavity being sufficiently large for receiving the transducer housing in spaced relation to the main cushion;
(c) placing the transducer housing in the cavity;
(d) positioning the control cable to extend from the cavity and on the supporting surface to an edge margin thereof;
(e) interposing a resilient isolation device between the transducer housing and the main cushion member with a portion of the housing contacting and projecting into the isolation device;
(f) providing a resilient pad member for covering the supporting surface;
(g) bonding a reinforcing sheet member to a bottom surface of the pad member; and
(h) bonding the sheet member to the supporting surface, the sheet member being laminated between the main cushion and the pad member and covering the cavity.
The step of enclosing can include completely. enclosing the transducer housing with the isolation material, the isolation material preferably having a volume of not less than 40 percent of a volume of the cavity. Alternatively, the placing and enclosing includes fastening the transducer onto the sheet member in fixed relation to the pad member prior to bonding the sheet member to the supporting surface. Further, there be a plurality of the transducers, the forming being of a corresponding plurality of spaced apart cavities, and the fastening including spacing the transducer on the sheet member in correspondence with the spacing of the cavities.